DENVER – Tanner Johnson struck out a career-high 11 batters to help the Montana State University Billings baseball team to a series-opening 6-2 win over Metro State University Denver Friday afternoon at the Regency Sports Complex.
 
Johnson allowed two runs – one earned – on nine hits with no walks in 7 1/3 innings. Adam Cox sealed the victory with a scoreless ninth inning, after Lee Busto got the final two outs in the eighth.

"Tanner was exceptional today," said MSUB head coach Rob Bishop. "He held a good offensive team down until we could get to their starter. Offensively, we were opportunistic early and had good at-bats from a wide variety of guys. This was a good team win."
 
Johnson is now 2-0 on the season, and he helped MSUB pull its record to .500 at 3-3. The Roadrunners fell to 1-3 with the loss, after opening their year with a 2-1 series defeat against Emporia State.
 
Despite not scoring in the final five innings, MSUB had built a 6-1 lead through the first four, which proved to be more than enough to back their senior ace. Luke Reinschmidt finished the day 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a run scored, and a stolen base, and Zach Robinson also had a pair of hits including a triple.
 
The 'Jackets loaded the bases in the first inning, as Casey Merritt, Reinschmidt, and Kevin Toon drew walks. Colter Sternhagen came through with a big two-out RBI-single, but Roadrunner left fielder Hunter

Donaldson helped limit the damage to one run by throwing out Reinschmidt at the plate to end the inning.
 
The Roadrunners evened the score in the bottom of the first as Donaldson delivered a two-out, RBI-single of his own. Donaldson was one of four Metro State players with multiple hits in the game, and he and Trent Maloney each had a double.
 
Johnson settled into a groove after allowing the unearned run in the first, and retired 13 straight batters as he worked strongly into the seventh inning.
 
Getting back to work at the plate in the second, Reinschmidt picked up a two-out, bases-loaded single that scored Kyle Durbin and Merritt to make it 3-1. Robinson helped kick off a two-out rally in the fourth, coming all the way around the bases on a triple and a fielding miscue by Metro State. Toon had an RBI-double and scored on a base hit by Cox, and the 'Jackets supplied Johnson with a 6-1 advantage by the end of the frame.
 
The Roadrunners didn't have another scoring threat until the bottom of the seventh, when Nick Comito and Jake Thurston had back-to-back two-out singles. Reinschmidt grabbed a fly ball off the bat of Jeff Levett however, as Johnson got out of the inning without damage.
 
An RBI-double by Maloney got one run back in the eighth, but a relay from Robinson in right to Morris at short to Durbin at third cut him down trying to stretch it to a triple. An ensuing single by Andrew Paust drove Johnson from the game, and Donaldson ripped a double to put runners on second and third with one out. Busto dug deep however, and stranded a pair by retiring the next two hitters.
 
Two Roadrunners reached base with two outs in the ninth, but Cox got Maloney to fly out to Robinson to end the game.
 
Metro State starter Julian Garcia lasted four innings, allowing six runs on eight hits with four walks and a strikeout. Cameron Stroup was outstanding in four relief innings, striking out six and allowing no runs on just one hit against the Yellowjackets.
 
THE BUZZ: Johnson was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…he surpassed last season's high of 10 strikeouts, which he had in a three-hit shutout of NNU at home…Johnson has allowed just one earned run in 15 1/3 innings pitched this season…Reinschmidt now has multiple RBIs in each of his last four games…MSUB drew a season-high eight walks in the victory.
 
NEXT UP: The 'Jackets play a doubleheader against the Roadrunners on Saturday, with two seven-inning games scheduled at Regency Athletic Complex. First pitch is set for noon, with live stats available here.